Poll: Bernie's avg $1.40 per week flat tax so moms can stay home with their newborns is...

[MannyGoldstein]

Last edited Sat Nov 21, 2015, 11:33 PM - Edit history (1)

Actually it's Gillibrand's bill that Bernie supports, but what do you think?

27 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Worst assault on the 99% ever
	1 (4%)
	Worst assault on the 99% this century
	1 (4%)
	A crushing indictment of Democratic Socialism
	0 (0%)
	$1.40 per week? Seriously? That's what Hillary and her supporters are screaming about?
	4 (15%)
	Screaming about $1.40 a week so moms can stay home with newborns sounds like loony Republican nonsense
	20 (74%)
	Oh @#$& you, Manny, you @#$&ing @#$&
	1 (4%)
	Not good enough, Bernie!
	0 (0%)
	Other
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[HerbChestnut]

1. K&R to show how ridiculous this whole thing is.

Hillary Clinton is on the wrong side of this issue. Period.

[Kip Humphrey]

2. Oh @#$& you, Manny, you @#$&ing @#$&

a once in a lifetime opportunity... had to take it.

Meanwhile my $1.40/week is going in my piggy bank until the day someone's daughter can stay home with their grandson - a day that won't come soon enough for my daughter and my grandson next April.

[hill2016]

3. nice try

but it's not a flat tax

it's 0.2% on total income on both employee and employer

let's be honest here

[jeff47]

6. Pssst..."Flat tax" came from Clinton supporters in order to attack this proposal (nt)

[hill2016]

10. flat tax as a percentage

not flat tax as a fixed sum

wish that the op had fact checked this and not tried to conflate the two, which is quite dishonest in my opinion

[jeff47]

13. Why? Because it's less relatable?

The 0.2% is $1.40 for the median. Putting it in dollar terms makes it more relatable, and median is a reasonable example.

Now, if you were really concerned about accuracy, you could go complain about how this post left out the rate.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251835268

[hill2016]

15. ha ha

it's not my job to figure out what Sanders was proposing beyong what he said in that interview

[jeff47]

17. Well, so far only one proposal is paid via payroll tax

yet you managed to claim they all were. Odd.

[Bluenorthwest]

20. Sanders is not proposing this, Senator Gillibrand is proposing this, Sanders is just one of many

co-sponsors of this Democratic legislation that has been in process for about two years now. You are not well informed.

[exboyfil]

8. Any cap?

Using Social Security receipts as a benchmark that would be $22B which translates to $470/wk for 4 M births and 12 weeks leave.

Sounds like it would work.

Some other numbers to consider.

General revenue is going to need to make at least $150B/yr. more either through taxes or borrowing to pay back current Social Security debt for the next 14 years or so when the Trust Fund will be exhausted. At that point benefits will be 60% or so of current amount unless the cap is removed.

Long Term Care (Medicaid) will continue to rise and that needs to be covered as well.

Medicare etc.

[Scootaloo]

12. hill2016 says "let's be honest here"

[hill2016]

16. when have I ever been factually wrong?

.

[TDale313]

4. What I want to know...

Is how long it would take these same Hillary supporters to claim this was the best plan eva if Hillary decided to support this idea. 10 seconds?

[jeff47]

7. Nowhere near that long. And they'd claim it was gravitas. (nt)

[Hydra]

19. Oh, it would totally have been her idea first

And "Better than Bernie's!"

Except that the plan would only be vaguely explained and then forgotten about next week too.

[exboyfil]

5. Do the numbers line up?

120M full time workers pay $72/yr. = $8.6B
4 million births/year

That is $2160/baby

12 weeks leave is $180/wk or $4.50 a day

Now not every woman will access this benefit, but we are talking about considerably less than a living daily wage

Maybe I made a mistake in my numbers?

[Eric J in MN]

14. $1.40 per week is what the median worker would pay.

Higher paid workers would pay more.

The employer would contribute as much as each employee, and so you can double some of your numbers.

http://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/issues/paid-family-medical-leave

[exboyfil]

18. Saw that at another post

Payroll tax of 0.2%/0.2% which seems like it might work. Of course I would like to see a plan for paying for the current guaranteed benefits first before proposing any additional benefits.

[TheBlackAdder]

9. NJ has Paid Family Leave at just over $1 a week. This is doable. nt

[Jack Rabbit]

21. I voted for looney Republican nonsense

. . . since neoliberal whining isn't an option.